The high-energy protons travel inside vacuum pipes in an underground
tunnel. They are kept in approximately circular orbits by strong
magnetic fields produced by superconducting magnets. The higher
the energy, the larger the orbit, the longer the tunnel, the more
magnets needed, and the higher the cost. The 16-mile-long tunnel
of the LHC is the largest for any particle accelerator in the world.
The high-energy protons travel inside vacuum pipes in an underground
tunnel. They are kept in approximately circular orbits by strong
magnetic fields produced by superconducting magnets. The higher
the energy, the larger the orbit, the longer the tunnel, the more
magnets needed, and the higher the cost. The 16-mile-long tunnel
of the LHC is the largest for any particle accelerator in the world.